New Years, New News, and New Resources! Welcome to the first issue of our newsletter for 2010! We are focusing this newsletter on disability related news of interest to you. We have news about the new movie ‘Avatar’, a report from the EEOC on the ADA, Autism as an employment asset and much more. Sadly we also report the loss of the inspiration for the movie ‘Rain Man’, Kim Peek. You will see we have added several new training tools to help you facilitate full participation for people of all ages with disabilities. AND knowing that everyone’s coffers are low and purse strings are tight we have some incredible discounts on training and educational videos and books we think you may want to have.

We are putting the finishing touches on our new 2010 catalog and it is packed with new cutting edge training resources. This issue includes over 350 disability resources for educators and disability professionals. To request a catalog simply click http://www.disabilitytraining.com/catalog.php and select your preference for receiving the catalog. Our catalog is always free so request your copy.

NEW RESOURCES!

Our collection of over 600 resources, are continuously monitored and updated to assure you are getting the most current, popular disability information and training materials available. We’ve listed a few here for you.

Fred’s Roman Holiday - Once institutionalized for 33 years inside one of Connecticut's institutions for people with developmental disabilities, Alfredo Calabrese, the main character of the award-winning film Fred's Story, takes five traveling companions on a mysterious mission to Rome and to a magical, troubling, and ironic moment in Fred's past.http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Freds_Roman_Holiday_DVD-pid956.html

"I didn't feel like it was a pity story about someone in a wheelchair," - Santina Muha, communications associate at the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and the current Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey, talking about the movie "Avatar". 1st Story

"My career would not have existed at all without the autism."- Ron Brix, about working at candy and gum maker Wrigley. 4th Story

"We're happy that it went our way." - Chris Kalbfleisch, talking about an Illinois appeals court ruling that means his son Carter can bring his service dog, Corbin, to school. 5th Story

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA-- [Excerpt] Like others who flocked to see the blockbuster movie "Avatar," 26-year-old Santina Muha was thrilled by the visuals.

But unlike the majority of people in the theatre, she wasn't just imagining life on the distant moon Pandora. She was vicariously living the fantasy of regaining the use of her legs.

"The scene where the character goes from his wheelchair into his 'avatar,' where he's walking and playing basketball, it was really touching," said Muha, who had a spinal cord injury in a car accident at age 5.

"It gave me chills," she said. "I'm a wheelchair user for 20 years; I can't even remember what it was like just stretching his legs out like that. He must have just felt like it was the ultimate stretch."

Audiences learn that the hero, Cpl. Jake Sully, lost the use of his legs while on duty as a Marine. Sully, played by able-bodied Sam Worthington, ends up on a mission to the lush moon of a distant planet where current technology gives his mind access to a cloned body of one of the local humanoid aliens, the Na'vi.

Peek, 58, was likely the world's most famous savant, enduring mental handicaps while at the same time possessing extraordinary gifts of memory and recall.

"He had a depth and breadth of knowledge and a memory that was just unbelievable," said Daniel Christensen, a professor with the University of Utah's Neuropsychiatric Institute. "He was unique. I don't know if there will ever be another person quite like Kim."

Peek was born on Nov. 11, 1951. At 9 months, doctors said he was severely mentally retarded.

"They told us we should institutionalize him because he would never walk or talk," Fran Peek said. "But we refused to do that."

Peek, who was shy and withdrawn, spent most of his early years among his family and friends. However, his life took a swift turn in 1984, when he met screenwriter Barry Morrow.

Peek's personality impressed Morrow, who wrote the screenplay for "Rain Man."

WASHINGTON, DC-- [Excerpt] The number of disability discrimination claims filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission increased more than 10 percent last year, and that number is expected to grow in 2010, thanks to the ADA Amendments Act.

The EEOC also investigates gender, age, genetic information, pregnancy, race and religious discrimination claims, charges that in 2009 reached their second-highest number in 20 years - second only to last year, according to a recent commission report.

The EEOC received 93,277 charges, an increase that is likely the result of the commission's recently increased statutory authority regarding disability discrimination, according to the commission's "Fiscal Year 2009 Performance and Accountability Report."

The ADA Amendments Act, for example, may have contributed to the 10 percent increase in disability discrimination charges. The commission said the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act also brought more charges. As a result, a record high $294 million was awarded to employees though private-sector enforcement during the fiscal year.

Entire article: Disability discrimination claims are up by 10%, EEOC expects continued increase.

Autism Seen As Asset, Not Liability, In Some Jobs (MSNBC)
December 10, 2009

NEW YORK, NEW YORK-- [Excerpt] Ron Brix’s longtime job as a computer systems developer for Wrigley, the gum and candy maker, required intense attention to detail, single-minded focus and a willingness to work on something repetitively until perfect.

The secret he credits to his success? Autism.

Brix, age 54, was diagnosed in 2001 with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism often marked by the exact traits that help make him an ideal employee.

"My career would not have existed at all without the autism," says Brix.

It's often seen as a heartbreaking diagnosis, but now some revolutionary companies see autism as something else: a resource.

Appeals Court Says Boy With Autism Can Bring Service Dog To School (Belleville News-Democrat)
December 22, 2009

BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS-- [Excerpt] The 5th District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon has agreed with a Monroe County judge's decision to allow a boy with autism to attend a Columbia school with his service dog.

The appeals court's opinion supporting Monroe County Circuit Judge Dennis Doyle's ruling in August that granted a preliminary injunction to allow Carter Kalbfleisch to bring his autism service dog, Corbin, to school was filed Wednesday. The school district had appealed Doyle's decision.

Instead of following the judge's ruling, the Columbia School District decided it could not meet Carter's educational needs and sent him to the Illinois Center for Autism in Fairview Heights. The school district agreed to pay for Carter's education at the specialized school, but has refused to pay to transport both Carter the dog to the school.

"We're happy that it went our way," said Chris Kalbfleisch, Carter's father. "Hopefully the school will change their direction with this. ... Hopefully we can move forward and get our son back in school."

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